


Marco vs. The Forces of the Multiverse

by Kennaye



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: F/M, if you're looking for the smut it's in chapter 9
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:23:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10024613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kennaye/pseuds/Kennaye
Summary: It has been one week since Star left Earth. Forces are in motion that could spell the downfall of not only Mewni, but all universes. This was not Marco's idea of a "Summer Break".





	1. Marco vs. The Movie Date

It had been one week since Star had left Earth.

Marco had tried to relax in the past week. After all, it was Summer Break. But he couldn't stop thinking about Star - about how she could potentially be gone forever, how she didn't even explain why, how she still had feelings for him. Marco sighed as he lazily rode his bike towards downtown. He had a date with Jackie this evening, they were going to see The Princess' Bride II: Electric Boogaloo. Apparently Jackie really liked old-timey medieval lovestories, once again amazing Marco about how little he really knew about her. He was sure that it would help get his mind off of Star, so he was looking forward to it. The past few months, well years if you count his time in Heckapoo's dimension, had taken a toll on him. He wished he relished this opportunity to be a kid again...but there was still that thought in the back of his mind, as he raced towards the movies.

 _Skiiirting_ up to the theater, he locked his bicycle into the rack. Walking inside, he found Jackie sitting on a bench by the front desk. Her blonde hair with the green highlight shined at him, and her deep green eyes also caught his. God, she was stunning. He sighed once more, "Alright Marco." he thought to himself, "Just enjoy this evening. You're on a date with your girlfriend, your incredibly cool girlfriend. Just try not to let everything get to you. This is after all, your one month of formally dating. You've got this." Jackie smiled at him as he approached.

"Hey Marco!" She beamed. "You ready to see this movie? I really liked the first one." Her smile made Marco's knees weak. He almost forgot about losing his best...friend. He nodded. A slight breeze caused his hair to move about ever so slightly.

"Yeah, this should be fun. Really, really fun." Marco stuttered a bit as he talked. He put his arm around her as they walked over to the counter. He spoke to the man manning the ticket counter; "Two for Princess Bride II, please."

"Uhhh...alright." said the employee. "That will be 6.50." Marco pulled some money out of his pocket and paid the fee. Unfortunately, Marco only had 100s and one 50 on him, so he got a rather 

He and Jackie walked by the concession. "You want anything to eat, or whatever?" Marco started to dig his hands through his pockets, looking for some money to get overpriced theater food. He'd be lucky to keep his residual amount for his Princess Marco merchandise.

Jackie laughed. "Marco, don't you know concessions at movie theaters are scams?" She tapped herself on her right boob. "I sneaked in plenty of candy for the both of us." Marco smiled and kissed her forehead. She really was the best. Jackie giggled as a response.

They filed into the theater and found two seats in the very back row. The theater was completely empty save them, since the movie had been out for quite some time. They sat awkwardly for a few minutes as the pre-movie advertisements rolled by. Then, the actual previews started.

"Ughhh...I love dog movies." Jackie said, laying he neck on Marco's shoulder. Marco's muscles tensed, but then slowly relaxed. This was nice. He was legitimately enjoying himself. The previews continued until the actual movie started. A rather attractive blonde guy gave some long monologue about true love as Marco sat, content.

Jackie's hand slowly moved to Marco's leg, rubbing up and down the length of his thigh. Marco felt his heart rate increase. Oh damn, Jackie was close to his junk. It was their one month...Marco wondered if she was about to start fooling around. He gulped. He had no idea what to expect. He had had the talk, obviously, and taken health. But he didn't really know what to, like, really expect. He started to sweat nervously, and tried focusing on the movie to get his mind to calm down.

The scene now had a beautiful woman portraying what Marco could only assume to be a princess. Her long blonde hair had the moonlight dancing off of every strand, her laugh joyful and easygoing. Marco felt his heartbeat slow as he continued to focus on these details. He sighed as Jackie snuggled up closer to him. He continued to watch the movie complacently. 

Then the moon in the movie took on a deep shade of red, causing Marco to nearly topple out of his seat. Jackie jerked back, shocked. Marco looked back up only to see the moonlight back to its pale, white complexion. Marco dragged his hand down his face. He was such an idiot.

"Jackie...I'm sorry." Marco stood up and walked out of the theater. His heart raced in his ears, drowning out whatever Jackie was asking as he got further away. He crossed the lobby, walking speed increasing with each step. He had been such a dumb ass. Star was his best friend. She wouldn't have waited a week to search for him. She wouldn't have tried distracting herself with dumb dates and whatever else to make it easier to cope with her loss. She would have found him by now. She would have _helped_ him by now. Marco wasn't going to dilly-dally anymore. He was going to take action. He unlocked his bike and mounted it.

He was going to go get his friend back. He was going to succeed. Because Star would do it for him, and he'd be damned if he wouldn't do it for her.

Above Marco's head, the sun started to set. However, instead of the pale white sheen it normally emitted, it only had a blood red glow to it's aura.


	2. Star Vs. The Packing of Possessions

Star wiped away her tears as she surveyed her room.

Now back on Mewni for good, her magic had moved the entirety of her room with her to Mewni. She looked at the picture of her and Marco that dotted the room. She had thought that revealing her secret crush on him would be relieving, a weight lifted off of her mind. However, the suddenness of it all only made the weight that more crushing. She sniffled. This wasn't fair. She had known Earth as her home for so long. Now, she may never be able to return. Her head and her heart both ached. Not just for Marco, but for all the friends she left behind. At least she'd never have to explain herself to Jackie, though she found herself unable to use that factoid to cheer herself up.

"Star." Her mother placed her hand on Star's shoulder. "I'm sorry. But this is what's best for you. What's best for our kingdom. Toffee is stronger than ever now that he is imbued with magic. We won't have long to prepare. Gather your things, we must leave here as soon as possible."

Star nodded her head slowly, somberly. She felt like weights were tied to her feet as she went around the room gathering memories. She grabbed her photo of her and Marco, a reminder to what she lost. She hugged it close to her bosom. This wasn't going to get easier. Not for a long time. Her father walked into the room, shocked by her mother's appearance. "Dear!" he exclaimed. "Are you okay? You look absolutely a mess!" His voice was a mixture of confusion, rage, and concern.

"Things have taken a turn for the worst, I'm afraid." Moon said somberly. "Star and I must leave. She needs to be trained as much as possible. Toffee's returned and...." Moon almost choked on her words, "...and I don't know if we can defeat him this time."

River's face fell into a stoic appearance. He was no longer resembling the goofy, fun-loving dad Star had come to know and love. It was the true face of a tired king. "I will inform our guard's to be on high alert. Do not worry dear, I will protect our kingdom in your absence."

Moon kissed her husband's cheek. "I know you will dear." She smiled faintly, then turned to Star, her face hardening once more. "Have you gathered your things?"

"Almost. Most things I use I just summon with magic." Star replied. Her mother nodded, then promptly headed towards the door.

"I will go saddle a warnicorn. Dimensional scissors will not be able to take us to where we must go, so we will ride. Best to not leave the trace of dimensional scissors outside of the temple as well." Moon shut the door behind her as she finished speaking. Star remained alone, with her father. Her father let out an exasperated sigh.

"Oh dear, dark times lie ahead of us." River murmured. He walked over to Star, hugging her tightly. "I love you, my dear."

"I love you too, dad." Star looked up at her father, smiling. "Please, be safe."

Her father guffawed. "Star, worse things have stood in my way before. Don't you worry about me." He kissed her one final time. "Go to your mother, I'll see you both eventually."

Star slowly headed out of her room, down the hall, and eventually outside the palace. Her mother sat atop a mighty warnicorn, which whinnied as she approached. Star hoisted herself atop the steed.

"Are you ready Star?" Her mother asked, one final time.

"Yes." Star said, setting her head down and against her mothers back. She looked down in her hand at the photograph of her and Marco one last time, then buried her face in her mother's back. With a _yah_ , Moon and Star rode away into the night.


	3. Marco vs. Familial Responsibility

Marco practically leaped off of his bike upon arriving at his home. Throwing his helmet into the bushes out front, he threw the door open with the purpose of a man on the mission. He was determined, ready, livid. Marco was many things, as teenage boys normally are. Hurrying up the stairs, he heard a murmuring coming from the kitchen as his parent's poked their heads out of the doorway. He could hear the concern in their voice, but cared not for it. This wasn't a "Marco Moment", this was an actual emergency; and Marco was done putting off confronting it.

Going into his room, he rummaged through his drawers looking for where he had left his dimensional scissors. One of the puppies ran up to him, leaping on his back and shooting lasers around the room. Marco lightly shoved it off his back. He didn't have time for walks now. Honestly, depending on how long Marco was gone he hoped his parent's would be able to handle the puppies. They were quite the handful.

"Marco?" His father peered into his room just as Marco closed his hands around the scissors. Turning around, he faced both of his parents. Their eyes went straight for the scissors, a look of concern washing over their faces. "Where are you going?"

"Star is in danger." Marco replied simply. "I need to find her, and help her." He went to go make the motion to open a portal before he was interrupted by his mother.

"Marco, Star is gone. She sounded frantic when she left. Maybe...maybe it's best you're not involved." His mother's voice trembled so slightly. This was odd, for Marco's parents were normally very loose and easy-going.

"Mom...." Marco looked down at the ground, his voice trailing off. "This is something I have to do. I thought I could just look past what happened, put it off, hope. But I can't just sit idly by and wait for things to work out. If I were in danger, Star would look for me. She wouldn't have even waited an entire week to go searching for me. I've already wasted enough time."

"Marco, if you go through that portal and something bad happens...how will we know when we will see you again?" Marco's father's voice audibly cracked as he said this. "We've always let you go on adventures, dangerous adventures. We know you're smart, capable, but we still worry. If you go alone...." His father didn't finish, just continuing to look down. "I don't know if I could forgive myself, knowing I let my only son run off and get hurt in another dimension."

"I'm sorry dad." Marco said. He walked over to his parents, putting one hand on each of their shoulders, bringing them in for a hug. "I love you both. But I can't abandon a friend. You both raised a better man than that." Marco kissed them each. "I'm going. I will be back...with Star. Don't uh...don't wait up."

"Mijo...." Marco's mother said, but Marco just raised a single hand in response. He slowly turned, and walked towards the portal. He stopped suddenly, turned around, and gave one last smile.

With that, Marco turned once more and walked towards the portal. Once his visage disappeared in the void, the void itself disappeared. Marco's mother cried softly into her husbands arms, as he whispered reassurances in her ear. They slowly walked down the stairs, and once at the bottom turned towards the sound of an opening door.

In stepped Jackie, who looked at them concerned. "Hey...have either of you two seen Marco?"


	4. Star vs. The Ancient Temple

The ride to the temple was silent, save the sounds of nature and the _clip clop_ of the warnicorn's hooves. Moon's face was one of determination, Star's one of misery. In such a short span of time she had been forced to say goodbye to not one home, but two homes. The only homes she had ever known. If home is where the heart is, Star's just grew colder. As did her heart turn, so did the weather - a gentle, cool breeze washing over her and her mother.

"We're almost there." He mother said, breaking the silence. "It's a long ride, but it's one of the few places that Toffee's magic cannot reach us. It's an ancient Human temple, back when magic was accessible to a plethora of people. It was worshiped as a gift from the gods." They continued to ride in silence for a few more beats. "If such were the case, I only wonder why they have forsaken us now."

Twenty minutes later, they had arrived. Settled in a small valley, a waterfall fell through the remains of a decrepit structure. Moss covered much of what once was brilliantly white stone. The warnicorn slowed as they approached an eroded bridge, vines pendent from the sides and being softly dragged with the current. It was picturesque, a place Star would have gladly explored with Marco in better circumstances. She held back tears once more as her and her mother dismounted. The lapping of water helped keep her tears, and heart, at ease.

"The original tribes of Mewni contained many magic users, but the highest caliber of them belonged to bands of monks." Star's mother continued. "They would normally reside in these temples, practicing and learning magic. Back then, most people were at least slightly inclined to magic. The fact that it tapered off was part of the reason your wand was made." Star looked down at her wand as her mother said this. "In an effort to make sure human's would always have access to magic, a high council of powerful monks created the crystal that resides in your wand that could help tap into the magic reserves naturally in those who possess them. Now, it's very rare to find a human outside of the royal family who is naturally apt to magic outside of the family. Even for our family, without the wand to help get oneself used to tapping into magic it can take several years longer to train."

"Oh." Star said plainly. "That makes sense, like training wheels."

"Like what?" Star's mother raised her eyebrow.

"Oh...uh...it's an Earth thing. Bicycles...you wouldn't know." Star looked back down again, reminding herself that she was no longer on Earth. Not everything was pulled by invisible goats.

Star and her mother continued through the temple, a once great testament to magic now laid in ruin. Light filtered through many holes in the ceiling, and great piles of fallen ceiling and walls littered the floors of sprawling chambers. Moon pushed past some vines into a room that was almost entirely intact. At the very least, it was sheltered from the elements.

"Well, it's not luxury. But it's manageable." Moon remarked, laying down a blanket on a stone slab. "Feel free to settle yourself wherever in the temple. This room looks to be the best from what we've seen so far."

"I'll stay in here with you." Star said, summoning a cot with her wand. "I don't feel really explorer-y." In all honesty; however, Star just wanted to be close to her mother. After having lost so much in such a short time, her only real comfort was that her mother remained by her side. It might sound childish, but it was true.

"Alright. Well, then let's not dilly-dally then." Moon said, exiting the room. Star followed closely behind. "This temple, due to the high concentration of magic throughout its history, is naturally imbued with magic. It allows you to tap more into your informal magic. Did Glossaryk ever explain to you the difference between informal and formal magic?"

"Uh...I don't think so?" Star vocalized. "We talked about dipping down...is that what you mean?"

"Yes." Moon stopped walking once they came to a deep pool, a waterfall cascading down into it.  "Dipping down is the beginning portion of informal magic. Informal magic is the application of magic without having to speak a spell. It's about intention, certainty...you need to know what you want and turn your will into form." Moon shot a beam of magic off her hand, through a hole in the ceiling. "Meanwhile, formal magic takes advantage of annunciation to help give spells form. This works well with the wand, which helps you tap into your natural magic. But in an intense battle, you may find yourself unable to speak fast enough to use your magic.  Both have practical applications, but if you're going to face Toffee you'll need to be able to harness your natural aptitude to magic."

Moon sat down at the edge of the pool, crossing her legs. "Sit with me Star, we're going to meditate for a few days to get you in tune with the magic that permeates this site. It will help you once we start practicing informal magic."

Star sat down next to her mother. Closing her eyes, she tried clearing her head. But all she could think about was her kingdom, Earth, her old friends...

Marco.


	5. Mewni vs. The Forces of Evil

The first smell to hit Marco was that of freshly popped popcorn. The street of the main city of Mewni with which he came to was packed with various corn themed food stands, stores, etc. It was actually quite miraculous, an economy so dominated by corn. It always surprised Marco how popular it was, but then he remembered an important fact - Nachos came from corn. He couldn't blame them for their almost fanatical devotion to the vegetable if one of the best foods he knew of was like, the great-grandbaby of it.

Walking down the street, Marco examined the many shops and people wandering around Mewni. He actually had no idea where to even start looking for Star. Marco supposed the castle would be his best bet, but he didn't really know how to get there. The buildings of Mewni were rather tall...and while he could kind of catch the skyline of the castle sometimes, it was just a rough direction. The winding streets of Mewni were largely just a confusing rigamarole for Marco.

As he turned the corner, Marco's eye spied a cart full of Star Butterfly merchandise. Marco figured that if anyone would know where she was, it would be those who are literally selling her face. Walking up to the cart, Marco was greeted by a very energetic salesman; "Hello! Would you like to purchase some Star Butterfly merchandise? We have hats, wands, shoes, probably legitimate autographs, pictures of her face, posters, replica horns, fles-"

"Whoa man, just chill." Marco put his hands up to indicate that the merchant should slow down. "I was actually wondering if you knew where Star Butterfly was? Or like, how to get to the castle at least?"

"Star Butterfly? Well last I knew she was practicing her magic on Earth. She hasn't been back to Mewni since that disastrous Song Day." The merchant laughed. "To be honest, I thought it was a pretty nice song. Good chorus, politically riling. I made _sooooo_ much money off of that day. It was ridiculous."

"Oh. Well, uhm, thanks I guess." Marco started to walk away.

"Wait good sir, does this mean you don't want some fabulous Star Butterfly merchandise?" The merchant cries echoed behind Marco as he continued down the street. Obviously the people of Mewni were just as ignorant to the matters of the Royal Family as they were when Star revealed the Book of Spells had gone missing. This was going to make tracking down Star even harder.

Marco continued wandering, asking many passerby's what they knew about Star's location. The majority of them insisted she was still studying on Earth, a few rambled about a royal conspiracy, and one citizen did not even know who she was. Marco eventually made his way to a town square, where a large group of Mewmans were congregating.

"...sick and tired of being left in the dark! The entire book of spells stolen? Who knows what else the Royal Family is hiding from us!" An angry man, standing on a soapbox preached. "We should demand transparency from our rulers! No more lies! No more deception! No more omission!" His rant was met with many cheers. It seemed like the people of Mewni were actually very upset with Star's parent's lie.

"Hey!" Marco yelled, the crowd turning towards him. "It's not like they intended to lie to you! You have no idea when it was stolen, it could have been a few days prior. Maybe they were just...trying to keep you in good spirits for song day?" Marco's eye nervously twitched as the crowd murmured.

"Hey wait, I know that kid!" A voice unseen in the crowd yelled. "He's Star Butterfly's boyfriend! Of course he'd lie, he's trying to be **in** the Royal Family!"

"Hey...yeah! That does make sense!" Another voice yelled. "No more omission! No more omission!" Marco ducked as corn was thrown as him, and quickly skirted away as he was pelted with more. Jeez, the people of Mewni really were upset with the Royals. Maybe that's why nobody knew Star was back...? Marco put his hands in his pockets and kept walking. He eventually ducked into a tavern, for his legs were tired and his mouth was dry.

"Bartender, do you have any milk...or like, lemonade?" Marco inquired. A large bearded man, not wearing a shirt, just nodded in response. He grabbed a fistful of lemons, squeezing them into a glass, and handed it to Marco. Marco eyeballed it, then nudged.

"How do you intend to pay?" The bartender grumbled. Marco fiddled around in his pockets.

"Do you accept Earth money?" Marco tried his best to give a good 'please pity me' smile, but the bartender's brow just furrowed even more than it had been. Marco started to nervously sweat.

"I've got it, don't worry. Put it on my tab." An unknown, but familiar voice said behind him. Marco turned around to find Ruberiot, smugly smiling and brandishing a half drank pint. "How have you been, Marco?"

"Ruberiot? I haven't seen you since Song Day." Marco said tentatively. He was still salty about how Ruberiot had made everything awkward between him and Star, or at least set in motion the awkwardness. "I've been better. I'm actually on Mewni looking for Star. How have you been?"

"Well...." Ruberiot plopped down on the stool next to Marco, "...I've been better. I got fired from being the official songstrel of the Mewni Royal Family. I guess my song caused a good amount of civil unrest. Oops...."

"Yeah...I could see that happening." Marco picked up his glass of lemons and just kind of looked at it, sadly. "I guess I'm uhm...sorry that happened."

"Eh, such is life." Ruberiot shrugged. "On the flip side, I'm now very well known in the kingdom. I have demand, people are constantly asking me to play their functions. I'm thinking of going on tour." Ruberiot idly twirled his hair with his finger. "I'm not sure yet, though. There's also some people denouncing me since I used to work for the Royal Family. Say I'm a liar, etc."

"Yeah, I got pelted with corn earlier by some of those nutjobs." Marco rolled his eyes. "It's dumb of them to be so upset, all they'd do is panic anyway."

"People love to be angry, to react." Ruberiot responded. "They feed off of outrage. Haven't you ever read a newspaper? It's rarely good things."

"I...guess you're right?" Marco eyed Ruberiot's drink. "Can I have a sip of that, my throat is really dry."

"Sure." Ruberiot handed Marco the beverage. "It's corn-ale. Decent stuff. Keeps my nightmares at bay."

"That's concerning vague." Marco brought the glass up to his lips to take a drink. The smell of corn was almost overpowering on the beverage, it did not smell appetizing. He leaned it back to take a drink...

 **BOOM** , the tavern shook. Marco dropped the glass and it shattered on the floor. Another loud **BOOM** went off, this time knocking off wall decorations. "What the heck is _that?_ " Marco yelled. Ruberiot and Marco hopped off their bar stools and ran outside.

Outside, the once lush blue sky was now a sickly green color. In the air above the city Marco watched as a force field was slowly eaten away by an even harsher green aura. In the distance, Marco heard people scream. He faintly smelled burning.

Toffee's army had arrived at the city.


	6. River vs. The Forces of Toffee

River sat at an elongated table with his top knights and generals to discuss the present situation that faced his kingdom. While he waited for Intel to come, sweat nervously beaded down his face. Monster raids were not unheard of, but it had been many years since one had occurred so close to the capital of Mewni. He assumed they were attacking the outlying towns, as the main city was protected by a magical barrier intended to keep threats outside of his city. But River still had this feeling, deep in his gut, that something terrible was going to happen.

"Alright, what we'll need is to dispatch groups of knights to each of the outlying towns to make sure our citizens are protected. Now what we know so far is that Norwood is burning, so Gabriel I will have you take five companies to drive out the monsters there. Emerson, you will lead a company to Sorval. While it is quiet, I'm afraid they may attempt to flank us." River furrowed his brow as he thought. "Eastelm is also rather quiet, but we can never be too sure. Spayer, take three companies and then flank to Norwood if it's all clear."

"King River!" A messenger burst through the door. "Reports are saying that the first of our shields, the one of the city, is slowly being eaten away by dark magic! A hole has already been made, monsters have started flooding into the city from the south!"

"Our barrier is down?!" River was shocked. Only powerful dark magic would be able to dismantle that shield. That means it could only be one thing....River sighed. He had thought he would have more time before Toffee would take sure a direct approach of attack on the capital. "Men, disregard my orders. All men must go to this whole to rebuff the advance of the monster army. It is of the upmost importance that we drive them out of the city before they can wreak too much havoc. This isn't an ordinary raid."

"Sir, what _is_ going on?" Gabriel asked. River's other general's also leaned forward, in hesitant anticipation.

"This...this is the first attack of an all out war." River swallowed, "Toffee has returned. Without Moon or Star here to utilize magic, we must fight the only way we know how. With our fists! We are Mewmans, always triumphing over monsters! And I'll be damned if a few monsters will be the thing that destroys my city!"

"Sir!" The messenger piped up. "These aren't regular monsters."

"What?" River leered at the messanger. "Well tell us boy, what are they?"

"They're skeleton soldiers sir...like the kind used by Queen Eclipsa." River's face paled with the information just given to him. Skeleton's were a monster that did not appear outside of hell. They could be summoned, tamed, or even created if one knew enough dark magic. This was not good news at all.

"Well...we will have to give it our all." River stood up. "Men, rally to the hole. I will overlook the battle and command you from here. Make sure to keep issuing me reports so I know of our status." River exited the room, returning to his chamber.

"I never thought I'd have to wear this again...." He murmured, unlocking a cabinet. Inside, a brilliantly silver set of armor shined at River. He smiled, remembering fondly the triumphs he had had in the suit. Slowly, he put on the armor...

And got ready for war.


	7. Star vs. Informal Magical Training

The past week of training had been overall, really boring for Star.

Her mother had coached her through meditation, breathing exercises, etc. Evidently, a clear mind was the most vital part of informal magic. The aspects of certainty and remaining collected made it so that if you muddled your mind with other thoughts, it would lead to your magic struggling to achieve true form. Star kicked a rock absent-mindedly as she walked the eerily quiet halls of the Mewman temple. The only sounds that ever permeated the air was that of running water and wildlife.

It was very boring.

"Star!" Her mother called. "Come here, we need to begin today's session!" Star rolled her eyes. She figured that a pressing need for training would involve more _actual_ training. Not this garbage. Star walked into the main room containing the waterfall pool. To her shock and surprise, her mother was not alone. Next to her was Baby, the creature who had evaluated weeks before. Baby had, of course, been very harsh with her criticisms of Star. Star was almost intimidated by just the sight of her.

"Hello Star Butterfly." Baby said simply. "I'm here to teach you the basics of formal magic." Star raised an eyebrow. She had spent the last week on informal magic, why the sudden change? It was very exasperating.

"But...I've been learning about informal magic all week. Why aren't we continuing that?" Star looked to her Mother, who just turned her head another direction as a response.

"You've been learning how to properly manifest informal magic. As far as coaching in the specifics, there's not much we can do." Baby yawned. "I've seen your demonstration of informal magic during my evaluation. To be blunt about it, you're far beyond capable with it.  You just needed to learn to hold back so that it manifests itself as light magic, rather than dark magic. If you had not, you would fnd yourself being corrupted with overuse of dark magic."

"Dark magic corrupts the user?" Star cocked her head. She was guilty of using dark magic, both formally and informally.

"It can, yes. Through repeated, frequent uses you will find yourself using more and more dark magic. It's the strongest, most volatile form of magic for beginners." Baby flew over to Star and start circling her. "As time progresses, it will naturally corrupt you and your soul, body, mind. I've seen such cases, like Eclipsa, and it never ends very well."

"Oh...." Star said nervously. Dark magic sounded like a very serious matter, and Star had been dabbling with it like any other form of magic.

"Yes." Baby flew back by Star's mother. "Anyway, we will retest you, just like the evaluation, on the apple. However, I will give you the formal spell to bring items closer to you. It will just be handy to ease you into formal spellcasting."

"Uhm...okay." Star took her wand out.

"I am going to leave you two to it." Moon slowly paced towards the exit, "I'm going to go check with River on how the kingdom is doing. I'll be back shortly." Star just nodded, and went through the motions.

Despite Baby's explanation of the spell, Star still managed to mess it up repeatedly. The first, second, and third times all ended in abject failure. The fourth time, she managed to move the apple, just not the right way. The fifth time the apple exploded again, causing Star to throw a fit. "You must remain calm while doing formal magic." Baby said. "Just like with informal, if you cannot visualise what you want to happen, it simply will not."

So Star practiced, and continued practicing. It was hard; however, to distance her mind. It wandered to thoughts of Earth, friends, Marco...whenever he appeared in her head, which was embarrassingly frequent, Star would lose all focus and the spell would instantly fail. However, on her 23rd attempt, she managed to succeed.

"Good." Baby said. "You've now learned the most basic of formal magic spells. Which isn't to say you don't know formal magic, as you've already gotten to the level of inventing your own. But, it's important to learn formal magic as well."

As they wrapped up this first lesson, Moon reentered the room. Her gait was...weird, her face pale. She looked visibly distraught and frustrated.

"Mom?" Star gave her mother a concerning look. "Is everything okay?"

Star's mother's face returned to the normal, stoic look it normally had. "Yes dear. Keep practicing, time is of the essence." Moon didn't have the heart to tell Star that time was running out, as Toffee was already making his move.

And they were not ready for it.

 


	8. Marco vs. The Skeleton Army

Things were in utter pandemonium.

The citizens of the capital were going completely bonkers. Running around panicking, screaming, etc., things were in total disarray. Loud explosions could be heard on every side of Marco, and ash rained down as more of the city caught fire. The green hue of the sky cascading the city in an awful glow. Marco and Ruberiot ran through the streets, trying to find the source of the pandemonium.

"Do you have any idea of what could be happening?" Marco yelled to Rubieriot as they ran. The bard only shook his head, rather out of breath from their run. Marco and Rubieriot turned the corner, and before them saw a horrific sight. Mewni knights, about ten of them, laid slain before them. Blood stained the cobblestones of the streets, and the smell of entrails caused Marco to gag. Things were never this intense on his adventures...not since his excursions in Hekapoo's dimension, anyway.

"Jesus...." Ruberiot said, almost a whisper, "I thought this was just a monster raid...but this...." He was at a loss for words. Carnage like this hadn't been seen since the Monster Wars long ago, and he had only read about it in history books. Seeing it before his eyes was rattling, almost maddening. What could have done this?

Marco walked over to one of the slain knights. Beside the knight was a short sword, glimmering metal reflecting the sickening green of the sky in Marco's eye. The sword was completely clean. Had the knight's not even been able to get a single hit in on their targets? Marco shuddered at the thought, but picked up the sword. Karate might not be enough to handle whatever threat he and Ruberiot faced.

"What should we do?" Ruberiot said. "I don't think me and you can handle this, if we're being honest here. Mewni knight's train for years, and these guys look like they didn't stand a chance."

"We need to find Star and get the heck out of here." Marco said, testing the weight of his sword. It was awkward to hold, since Marco was so used to his old magic-shattering blade from Heckapoo's dimension. "Call it a gut feeling, but I think the monster's have come for her."

Ruberiot sighed. "I guess you're right. Better to die fighting than hiding anyway." He picked up a mace that laid by another soldier. "Lead the way."

They continued through street, finding more bloodshed as they went. It became apparent that whatever force that was moving through this town did not care who it saw, it would attack them. Many innocent Mewman's laid dead in the street as Marco and Rube ran.

"Are we almost to the castle bridge?" Marco asked Rube as they turned a corner. Rube stopped to catch his breath and respond.

"We're only a few more streets over now. We just need to go up a few blocks an-" Rube stopped mid-sentence, his face turning into an expression of terror. Marco whipped around and saw what Rube was terrifified of. It was a skeleton soldier, wielding a broadsword that was as black as the night sky. His armor looked ancient, parts either battered or entirely missing. The holes where its eyes should have been bore into Marco's soul. It shuffled towards them, creaking as it went.

"What...the...fuck." Marco gasped. He was used to skeleton's from hell, when he and Tom would hang out, but this...this was insane. They were never so foreboding, so fearsome. This was truly unsettling. And basing off of the fresh bloodstain's that covered the warrior, he was not as aloof as Tom's minions.

"Skeleton soldiers haven't existed since the Monster War." Rube gulped. "They can only be summoned using incredibly powerful, dark magic. I don't know much else, other than they're really strong. Maybe we should run."

"It's only one." Marco readied himself. "We should at least try and attack it." Marco slowly walked around the side of the warrior, who's head followed Marco's movements. The skeleton had stopped shuffling towards them now, just raising his swords slightly as Marco approached.

"You flank him, I'll go for his front?" Rube shouted to Marco. Marco only nodded as a response. Rube charged the front, causing the skeleton monster's head to instantly snap to where he was. Rube swung up in an arc with the mace, but was parried by the skeleton soldier's sword. Marco slid from the side, and with one broad stroke severed the tailbone from the spine, causing the warrior to split in two. A loud, high-pitched cry echoed out as the warrior crumpled to the ground. _Clang clang_ the only noise after, as its sword clambered against the cobble.

"That wasn't so tough...." Marco said, breathing mildly heavy. "Maybe the knight's had just been overwhelmed by numbers, maybe caught off guard?"

"I don't know man." Rubieriot walked over to Marco, passing over the corpse's corpse. "I just remember that skeleton soldier's were one of the greatest threats Mewni's ever faced." They turned and started walking down the road further towards the castle.

"Hah, well looks like they may be a little rust-" Marco's quip was cut short, as Ruberiot gasped for air. A sword pierced out of the front of his chest, then quickly slid back. Marco barely had time to jump to the side before another quick stroke narrowly flew by where his head had been seconds before.

"Rube!" Marco screamed. Ruberiot fell to his knees, dropping the mace as he went. His arms feebly went up to the wound in his body, as if to try and prevent the massive amounts of blood from leaving it. Rube collapsed completely. Behind him stood the monster they had just slain, twirling it's sword. It's bony mouth forming the feature's of a smile.

"B-but...we killed you." Marco's eyes grew wide. Skeleton soldiers were a threat because they were already slain. They were not held together by a mortal coil, but magic. This means they could not die. They would just reassemble. Marco had not realized this.

And Rubieriot had paid the price.

Marco adopted an offensive stance, and charged the monster once more. Slashing in a wide arc, the skeleton deflected it with a quick flick of its own weapon. It appeared to be faster now. Perhaps the first bout had been to see his and Rube's skill level? Maybe they got stronger each time they were slain? It was impossible to tell. Marco dropped as the skeleton swung at his head, and swiftly kicked the skeleton's legs out. Leaping back as the skeleton stabbed mid fall, Marco caught himself with his free hand and pushed back, thrusting himself at the fallen skeleton. Stabbing through a hole in the armor, Marco ripped up and through the ribs of the warrior. Again, another high-pitched scream and the skeleton laid still.

Marco ran over to Ruberiot's body. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.", was all Marco managed to put together. This was bad, this was really, really bad. He turned Ruberiot over to examine the injury. Blood continued to pour out. Ruberiot whimpered in pain as Marco held him.

"Ruberiot...here, we can probably find someone to help just let me help you up." Marco attempted to pick up Rube, causing Rube to let out a sharp cry of pain. Marco froze, then set him back down. "Rube, what do I do? What should I do? I don't know what to do." Tears formed in the corners of Marco's eyes. They had only just really met today, since Marco had brushed Rube off at his own home. Then the thought hit him, the majority of the time Marco had known Rube, he had been cold and rude.

And now Marco was the only person with Rube while he died.

"Marco...." Rube whispered. His eyes distant, glassy. "...you need to...you need to get out of here." Rube coughed, blood splattering across Marco's hoodie. "It'll...come...." As Rube warned, the skeleton slowly started to reassemble. Every broken bit, the tiniest pieces, coming back together. Marco was frozen in horror. He couldn't save Rube, he couldn't beat this monster. He had come to Mewni to help his best friend, and now he was failing his newest one.

"I'm not leaving you." Marco stood up, wiping the tears in his eyes away with the sleeve of his hoodie. The skeleton warrior stood once more, brandishing his sword. Marco didn't give it a chance to react instantly attacking it as furiously as he could. Each sword strike of Marco's was parried, bouncing away. A deep laugh escaped the skeleton as they fought. This wasn't good. Not only was Rube dying as Marco fought, but Marco was losing.

Marco brought his sword down, hoping to sever the shoulder of the warrior. Before the impact, however, the skeleton simply grabbed the hand, stopping it in its tracks. Flexing its hand, the monster crushed the blade, shattering the metal into miscellaneous piece. Then, with a hard kick, he knocked Marco across the street and through the window of a shop - knocking the air out of Marco.

Marco sat up, dazed. He watched as the monster slowly walked over to Rube, sword in hand. Marco wanted to leap up, wanted to run to Rube's aid, but his body would not let him. "N-no!" Marco pathetically cried, as the blade sank once more into Ruberiot.

And Ruberiot lay still.

The skeleton monster turned toward Marco, and slowly shuffled his way. Marco realized in that moment there was no way he could win this fight. If he stayed, he _would_ die. Tears once again came into his eyes. He felt in his pockets, and pulled his scissors.

"Ruberiot...I'm sorry." Marco whispered, opening a portal and leaping through it with the last of his energy. Sealing it behind him, Marco thought the pain he felt from his hits would be overwhelming.

But Marco was just simply numb.


	9. Marco vs. His Virginity

Marco practically collapsed through the portal as he reentered Earth's dimension. Quickly sealing the portal behind him, he then fell to the floor in shock. Rube was dead. The city was under siege. He had no idea where Star was, or if she was okay or not, and he overall just felt completely useless.

He hadn't been able to do anything, once again.

Marco slowly stood up. Looking out the window, it appeared to be the dead of night. Peaceful, relaxing, but not enough for Marco - he just cried. He cried as he walked over to his bed and threw himself into his blankets. He cried hard, ugly, just fucking himself up with crying. His sobs drowned out the noise of the door being opened, the footsteps to his bed, and the fact that someone was sitting on the end of it. He jerked as he felt someone touching his back, sitting up quickly ready to fight whatever threat faced him. But it was no threat, it was just Jackie.

"Dude...." Jackie looked at Marco incredibly concerned. "Are you alright? You look really beaten up. Did...did Star do this?" Jackie tilted her head to the side. She had personally seen Marco freak out plenty of times. The boy was a walking awkward situation. But this, this was unnerving. Especially since he had been maturing so much in the past year.

"No...and no." Marco sat up, wiping away tears and snot from his face. "I couldn't find Star at all. I don't even know where she is now. While I was looking around Mewni was attacked by monsters. The city is being destroyed right now. I tried to help...b-but...." Marco held back more tears. "I-I couldn't. I lost. I lost the fight, I lost Rube, I-" He broke down once more, collapsing onto his bed again. Jackie rubbed his shoulder as he just laid there, continuing to cry.

"Marco...I'm so sorry." Jackie's voice dropped. When he had left, she had personally be very jealous. Star was, after all, in love with Marco. But he seemed extraordinarily messed up from what he had seen. She couldn't be petty and hold this against him. If anything, she was lucky to have such a caring boyfriend.

Marco sniffled, trying to control himself. "Thank you...for being here." He whispered.

Jackie smiled laying down besides Marco. "I asked your parents if I could stay over for the night, to see you when you got back. I'm sorry for what happened there Marco, and I'm sure you did all that you could. Don't dwell on the negatives, you still gave it your all." Jackie kissed Marco, deeply. "Remember? I love you for that."

Marco whipped up quickly. "You...love me?" His face went read. Jackie also started to blush. She hadn't meant to say that just yet. She hadn't really ever said it to anyone, save like...family and stuff.

"Uhm...I don't know. I know I really like you, and I've never felt that way for someone before." Jackie nervously laughed. "I mean, isn't that what love is?" Marco managed a smile as he wiped the last of his tears away once again. They kissed once more, and held it for a very long time. Jackie rubbed the inside of Marco's leg as they did so. Marco felt himself getting hard, and grew increasingly embarrassed as Jackie hand moved closer, eventually passing over it. She pulled away from the kiss, giving him a sly look.

"Here, let's go to the bathroom and get you cleaned up, okay?" Marco just nodded, his head hazy. So much had happened in the past 24 hours. It felt like a dream, almost...surreal. He was glad he had Jackie here, to keep him grounded.

Following her into the bathroom, Marco removed his hoodie and undershirt. Both were ruined, but he had extras in his closet so he wasn't worried about it. His chest was covered in bruises and scratches. Jackie ran water over a washcloth, then walked over to Marco. Grabbing the side of his head with one hand, stroking his face with her thumb, she smiled at Marco. He returned the look, and she proceeded to wipe the dried blood off his face. Then she wiped it off his chest as well. Once she was done, she set the washcloth by the sink. They both walked back into Marco's room, sitting on the side of his bed.

"I'm sorry I missed our date." Marco said, bowing his head. "Honestly, Jackie, I just didn't know what to do. Star's been my best friend, and I just let her go. It just got to me while watching that movie, y'know? I just couldn't sit by idly anymo-" Jackie pressed her finger to Marco's lips, cutting him off midway through his sentence.

"Marco, it's fine." Jackie smiled. "Yeah, I was kind of upset...but I'm just happy you're safe." She started rubbing his thigh again. Marco's heartbeat increased. "Besides...you're here now."

Marco nervously laughed. "Y-yeah." Jackie continued rubbing his leg, and Marco got hard once more. She didn't stop this time, however, and purposefully started doing it more where his dick was.

Jackie leaned up to his ear, "If you want, we can make up for that date right now." Marco felt his face go incredibly red. She didn't mean...she couldn't mean. His heartbeat skyrocketed. He felt like it was jackhammer, he was frozen.

"W-w-what?" Marco sputtered, as Jackie leaned back and removed her shirt. Her bra matched her hair, and the frills on the edges added a cute touch. Marco was stunned. This was actually happening. Twenty minutes ago, Marco had almost died. Now, Marco was about to laid.

"You...might want to take off those pants." Jackie said, seductively. "They're pretty dirty...." Marco nodded and quickly kicked them off of his body. He sat on the bed with nothing on but his underwear, as Jackie pulled her shorts down. Her panties were simply white, and looked beautiful. Marco only became more nervous as she moved on top of him, kissing him passionately. He wasn't sure what to do with his hands.

Jackie slowly started to grind on top of him, increasing the speed the longer they were at it. Eventually, through heavy breathing, she whispered "...take them off...." Marco slid her panties down, and she awkwardly kicked them off with one leg. Marco did the same himself. The next moment was the longest Marco had ever experience. There was a tension in the air so thick even dimensional scissors could not cut them. Jackie slowly reached her hand back, grabbing Marco's cock.

"Are you ready?" She breathed. He nodded quickly. She slowly guided it to her entrance, and once it was aligned, slid down on his shaft. Marco exhaled suddenly as it happened. It was better than anything he had ever fantisized about. And it was really, really happening right now.

Jackie slowly moved herself up and down on Marco, each thrust sending waves of ecstasy throughout his whole body. Each time he went into her further, she would gasp. The speed only increased, and eventually she was moaning. He moaned too, and he wasn't sure if guys were supposed to. But he didn't care. He stroked her back, moving up and eventually grabbing the back of her hair. Flipping over, he switched to missionary and took control, dominating.

"Ohh...Marco...." Jackie moaned. He continued thrusting, not knowing what he was doing but trying his best. This was unlike anything Marco had ever experienced. It helped wash away the horrors of the past day. Nothing mattered now, just him and Jackie being together.

"Jackie...I think I'm...." He fucked her faster, harder. Jackie moaned. "...close...." Marco quickly pulled out, cum splattering against her thighs. He sat back, panting hard. He had just lost his virginity. Jackie looked up at him and smiled.

"That...was great." Jackie leaned over and kissed him once more. Leaning back, Jackie grabbed Marco's blanket and wiped the cum from her legs.

"Yeah...." Marco's heavy breathing was the only sound that filled the room. "Looks like I'm not a virgin anymore." He laughed nervously. Jackie moved over to him and snuggled next to him.

"Me neither." Jackie kissed him, emphasizing her next phrase, "I'm happy you're mine."

"I'm happy you're mine too." Marco smiled. They just laid there, basking in each other. It had surely been a momentous day for Marco. But then he heard it, the scratching. It was faint at first, but Marco knew he heard it. He stood up, putting his underwear back on. Jackie watched him eagerly.

"What's up?" She asked. Marco shushed her. He went to the doorway and looked down the hall. It was coming from the direction of Star's old room. He creeped down the hall, and silently made his way into the room. Jackie lagged behind, having taken a second to put her clothes back on. The room was still barren, the original guest room it had been before Star arrived. The scratching came from the closet. The closet which had once been Star's closet of secrets.

Creeping up to it, Marco grabbed the knob. Who knew what it could be. He whipped the door open quickly, but found nothing there. In fact, it was just a regular closet once more. Marco was stunned, he knew he had heard something. Then Jackie screamed.

On the ground in front of them was Toffee's finger. Somehow, someway, Star's magic had failed to transport it back to Mewni. Marco jumped back in horror. It was moving...which could only mean that Toffee was still alive. He gulped. This was bad.

Jackie reacted first, running over and stomping on it. The finger shuddered and fell still immediately after, the bone in it obviously broken. But Marco had seen the regenerative abilities of Toffee already, and he knew that would last for long.

"Shit. I need this." Marco said running over, scooping it up. "I don't know how, but I feel like this is connected to everything that's going on." Marco examined the finger in his hand. "I don't know how I'll carry it though, if it can move."

Jackie's eyes grew wide, "I know what to do." Running out of the room, she left Marco alone for only a few seconds. Coming back inside, she held a needle in one hand. She used her other to unclasp the necklace around her neck. Then, suddenly, she jabbed the needle through the finger. Pulling it out quickly, she threaded the small silver chain through. Marco watched as the finger slowly healed around it, making it the most grotesque jewellery he had ever seen. Jackie handed it to him, and Marco donned it around his neck. Bowing his head, he silently headed back to his room. Jackie followed.

"Marco...?" Jackie inquired as Marco got dressed once again. "What are you doing?" Marco looked back at her, his expression a mixture of sadness and melancholy.

"This finger is bad news." Marco replied, sliding his hoodie over his shirt. Pulling up his pants, he continued; "I need to go back to Mewni, but I have to go and get geared up for it. Those monsters...they're held together with magic. So I'll need a sword that was forged to repel magic, and I know where one is."

"But-" Jackie was interrupted as Marco raised a single hand.

"I have to, for Star." He said. Jackie's eyes started to water. Marco grabbed his scissors once more. "I promise, I'll be back." He opened a portal, this time orange, and stepped through. It sealed behind him. Jackie stared at where it had once been, dumbfounded. After everything, she still wondered - did Marco love her...or Star?

Outside, the moon radiated the deepest red hue it ever had.


	10. River vs. Toffee

River was calm as he overlooked his city burning.

Throughout his life, River had always been a mighty warrior. In his youth he perhaps would have been down there, fighting with the rest of the knights. Slaying monsters as they went. But he was no longer just a knight in the court, he was the commander in chief. And the commander had to sit back and give orders, watch the battle, and plan. However, they were losing the battle. Reports continued to flood in, and River did the best he could to direct everyone, but they were losing. River sighed, deeply. More and more Mewman's fled through the second barrier, taking shelter from the dark magic flowing the city. River knew soon the siege would soon be on his castle, and he would have no choice.

He would have to fight Toffee.

Just as suddenly as the thought entered his mind, a green missile hurtled towards the magical barrier over his castle. Crashing through it at lightning speed, it shattered the entirity of the barrier in one hit, and kept going. It zoomed ever faster towards its intended target.

Towards River.

Reacting fast, River raised his shield. Crashing into it hard, the force of whatever hit him sent him flying backwards with its momentum. Crashing through the walls of the castle, River hit the floor and rolled over and over, coming to rest at the seat of his thrown. Coughing, he hefted himself up and looked forward. There before him was a monster, what appeared to be Ludo. However, his eyes glowed green and his beak was curved into a terrifying smile.

"Hello, River." Toffee's voice cascaded out of Ludo's body. River's entire body tensed, and he drew his battleaxe. "It's been too long."

"Too long?" River scoffed. "I would have been comfortable not seeing you until I looked down upon you in hell from the heavens, Toffee." River slowly circled, and Toffee mimicked the motion.

"Oh River, I'm hurt." Toffee laughed. "Are you still sore about that injury I gave you all those years ago? It's not my fault you stood in the way of Moon." River gripped the handle of his axe harder, clutching his shield closer against his body. "Or maybe...maybe you're upset I've razed your entire kingdom to the ground."

"This ends here Toffee." River raised his shield high. "I won't let you slip away this time, I'm not the foolhardy knight I used to be."

Toffee smiled. "No. You're just an idiot king." A green blade materialized in Toffee's hand. "You can't win this fight old man, but you can end this siege. Just tell me one thing...where...is...my...finger?"

River laughed. "I have no reason to know, nor tell you if I did." River pivoted his foot, turning to Toffee head on. "Maybe I'll cut off a few more for you, huh?" Toffee's face fell into that of a frown.

"Pity. I do find all this conflict so droll." Toffee faced River. "But it's fine, I have ways of getting my answers out of you."

"Well then, let's see them!" River bellowed, throwing his shield at Toffee. Grabbing his other battleaxe from his side, River rushed by Toffee at lightning speed. Slicing once upward, Toffee merely leaned to dodge. Another cut across, but Toffee just bounced back. Striking down with his sword, River parried with the handle of his axe. Leaping over Toffee, River slashed both of his axes in a V as he did so, but Toffee dodged once again. He was just too fast for River to match, but River was resilient.

Toffee switched his sword from one hand to another, using his free gem hand to shoot magic missiles at River. River ducked, one missile singeing the hairs on the top of his head as it whizzed by. Another struck his axe, wiping it from his hand. River shook the hand out of pain, and dodged the next, which would have hit him squarely in the chest. "Just give up River, you're wasting my time. Just tell me what I need to know." Toffee chided.

River laughed once more. "It'll take more than a sore hand to get anything out of me, Toffee." Dashing, and then sliding, River grabbed his fallen axe. "You should just retreat already and stop wasting both of our time."

Toffee sighed. "Pity. Unfortunately, I'm bored now...so I'll make this quick." Vanishing, like a shadow, Toffee flew around the room so quickly River's eye could barely keep track. River spun all around trying to keep track of him. Toffee whizzed by close, slashing River's side, putting a deep cut into his armor. Moving with the motion, River threw an axe, and barely missed Toffee with it. Toffee just laughed, circling back around once more and continuing his assault. Each hit landed further and further chipped away at River's armor. River stumbled back, breathing heavily, as Toffee suddenly materialized behind him.

"Boo." Toffee said, impaling River in the back. Quickly withdrawing the blade, he used his free hand to grab River's hair, pulling River's head back and kicking him in the spine. River cried out, dropping his axe and falling to the ground.

"Tsk, tsk River." Toffee mocked. "I thought you would have improved, but I think you've only gotten sloppy in your old age." River coughed up blood. "Now, let me repeat myself. Where. Is. My. Finger?"

"Go to hell." River barked. Toffee blasted him with magic, sending him into a wall. Falling out of the crater, River tried to get up. However, he didn't have the strength - his arms giving out midway through his attempt. Toffee kicked him over, clutching the blade. He impaled it, lower, in River's stomach. River cried out once more.

"I can do this all day, River." Toffee laughed. "If you really don't know where the finger is, then where's that pesky daughter of yours?" Toffee smiled evilly. "I'm sure she'll talk much faster, she'll barely even suffer."

"You...better save us...both time...and just kill me...if you think I'd ever...tell you that." River gasped. His vision grew foggy. In the distance, he heard yells. Either knights had noticed what was happening, or the army had stormed the castle.

"Humph, well." Toffee twirled his blade. "I'm not surprised you'd say that, being so high and mighty." He kicked River once more, causing River to roll on his stomach. Toffee poked River above the tailbone, on the spine. "But would you be so tall if you couldn't stand?" Toffee laughed, menacingly, madly. Midway through the laugh, however, Toffee froze. He felt his finger. It was crushed. The pain...delicious to Toffee. He smiled evilly, he now knew where his finger was from the sensation.

"Well River, looks like I won't need to torture you for this information after all." Toffee scoffed, moving his sword away. "Guess you were right, you would never tell me."

River laughed, one last time. Weakly, for he was dying from blood lost. He thought of his sweet Moon, his precious Star, and his beloved kingdom. The tired king looked up, vision blurry, out at the sky. It was no longer green to him, but a beautiful mixture of blue and black. The moon shined brightly. It was a gorgeous sight.

Toffee plunged his blade through River's heart, and the tired king was laid to rest.


	11. Star vs. Further Magical Training

Star's magic training had been quite fruitful throughout the day. Her mother and Baby had helped her run through most of the basics of formal magic. After learning the first apple movement spell, Star had gone on to learn four more basics. The first was a spell that allowed Star to increase her own speed by using magic to move her body faster than normal. Coupling this with her already great physical ability, Star was now able to zoom around like her Mother could, perhaps even faster (depending on how focused she was and how much magic she extended).

The second spell Star learned was one that could increase her strength. Similar to the speed formal spell, it would allow Star to harness magic in the literal palm of her hand. When she had correctly performed the spell, it had allowed her to pick up a huge section of the fallen ceiling and throw it like it was a simple ball of paper. She was also able to make another hole in the wall with a solid punch. Star personally liked this spell, relying on her already excessive strength in many of her fights prior to learning the spell.

The third spell was also rather simplistic. This spell allowed Star to glide while in the air, magic controlling the airflow around her. It wasn't flying - that was a much more advanced spell, but it was still handy to have. Star would no longer have to fear falling from heights if she could simply lightly glide down from them.

The final spell, while simple, was considered a bit more intermediate. It allowed Star to materialize a weapon of pure magic. Star was already able to summon physical weapons using her magic, but a magic sword was much harder to break. In order to break it, a physical weapon would have to be imbued with magic itself (which was rare), or it would have to be in combat with another weapon made of pure magic. It was quite the handy little trick to have up one's sleeve.

Star was now practicing a spell that would allow her to give herself a magic set of 'armor', which was basically just a magical shield that would cover her entire form for a short period of time. This was also intermediate, and Star was struggling to perfect it. Moon instructed her in the correct stances and meter in which to say the words in, but after so much in one day Star was starting to feel overloaded.

"Star, you must whip the wand around your whole frame or the shield will miss parts of your body." Moon said. "If you're in such a need to summon this armor and keep it constantly maintained, you will not want to leave any openings in it."

"Yeah Mom, I get it." Star said stubbornly. She attempted to perform the spell once more, but it only gave her glorified magical knee pads and half a breastplate. Star threw her wand to the floor, frustrated. Each repeated failure only added to her inability to concentrate. Everything would be easier if Marco was here to help her out. But he was back on Earth, probably enjoying his Summer break. He was probably still going on adventures, just with Jackie.

Just without her.

Moon looked down, kindness in her eyes. "Star, I understand that it's been a lot today. If you want, we can take a break." She walked over to her daughter, lightly touching her shoulder. "If I'm overworking you, just say something."

"It's not that...it's just...." Star looked down, feeling her emotions overflow. "I miss Earth. I miss my friends, I miss my life! Everything's been so sudden, and we've spent the majority of the time meditating and working on the basics! If Toffee is coming back, shouldn't I be learning more advanced material? If it's so pressing, why are we wasting time with all of this?"

"Star, I know you're frustrated." Star walked over and sat on debris. "It's not easy, I know you think I don't but I do understand. This training should be over months, not hours. But we can't build a house without a foundation. You need to learn these basics if you want to be able to control the more advanced spells. If you lose control...they can end badly for the user."

Star nodded, accepting what she was being told. She was just frustrated, she was tired. She wanted to go home...to Earth. "Fine, lets try it again."

"Good." Moon smiled. "I'm proud of you Star, you're progressing very rapidly. Now, you need to make sure to encompass your whole body with your wan-" Moon stopped talking abruptly, freezing mid sentence. Her eyes grew wide, her smile instantly turning into a look of pure horror. Her arm, once extended to demonstrate, hung in the air shaking slightly. Moon gasped for air, a single tear falling down her face. Star was extremely alarmed.

"...Mom?" Star asked, concern flooding her voice. "Are you...are you good?"

"N-N-No...." More tears fell out of Moon's eyes as her voice shook. "Th-This c-can't...no." Moon's entire body began to shake as she started to ramble. "No...no...no...no...no." She raved, her voice growing louder and more frantic. Star stepped back, fearful. Her mother heaved forward suddenly, her wings ripping through the back of her shirt. Moon's head snapped up quickly, a green glow emitting from her eyes. The wind around her slowly started to increase in speed and intensity, enveloping her and Star in a whirlwind. Star was very frightened now.

"Mom!" Star yelled. Her Mother continued to rise, dipping down into dark magic. Star didn't know what to do. She summoned a weapon out of her wand. Would she have to attack her own Mother? She seemed to have lost control.

Suddenly, across the room flew a dark mist. Materializing in front of Moon was Baby, who quickly struck Moon across the face, and kicked her in the Stomach. Moon slammed into the ground, and the air was still. Slowly, Moon rose up disoriented. She shook her head. "What...what happened?"

"You...you lost control." Star gulped. "I'm not really sure why...is everything okay?" Moon looked up at Star confused, but then went pale. Moon had felt it. Moon knew what had happened.

"No Star, everything's fine. I'm just...tired." Moon brushed herself off. "Training is done for the day, I'm going to walk the temple to get myself composed." Briskly, Moon walked off. Leaving Star and Baby alone.

Once far enough away, Moon allowed herself to cry. She couldn't believe he was gone.

She didn't want to believe her husband was dead.


End file.
